


The Devil is in the Details

by ChateauxWithChattox (Lurlur)



Series: I'm Gonna Call This Home [1]
Category: Slow Show - mia_ugly
Genre: And fuck the gender norm, Because Erasmus likes dresses, Erasmus wears a dress, Facial Shaving, Gen, Harry the Rabbit is the only useful member of the group, Historical, Historical Inaccuracy, Joshua will eat anything that isn't food, Julia hates socks, M/M, Magic, Novelization, Shaving, Warlock the TV Show (Slow Show), mia_ugly's Slow Show Universe, you SHALL got to the ball
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:09:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22089166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lurlur/pseuds/ChateauxWithChattox
Summary: William, Julia, and Erasmus have just a few days left to try and get the Magistrate to drink a potion. After failing to get an audience with him, William presents one last opportunity: an invitation to a ball the Magistrate will be attending.
Relationships: Erasmus/William (Warlock - Slow Show)
Series: I'm Gonna Call This Home [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589968
Comments: 19
Kudos: 46
Collections: Apple-bottom Jorts, Ixnael’s Recommendations, Ixnael’s SFW corner, Slow Show Metaverse, Warlock fic





	The Devil is in the Details

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to try a novelisation of my favourite show. For my first attempt, I've picked the Ball sequence from S3. I really hope you all like it.
> 
> Thanks to joshuasrealdad, ThyErasmusBeDelivered, CandentCore, and AJ for sensitivity and beta reading. I owe you my soul.

An oddly rhythmic knock at the door signalled William’s return from town. Julia rose to answer it, leaving Erasmus sitting on the floor with Joshua where they had been playing with his ragdoll rabbit, Harry. William cast a furtive glance behind him before entering and closed the door as quickly as he could. His unusual anxiety alerted Erasmus.

“Do you think you were followed?” he asked William.

Shaking his head, William removed his cloak and hung it on a hook behind the door.

“No, I don’t think so. I’m just feeling out of sorts.”

From the corner of his eye, Erasmus saw Julia relax. She had been ready to run, he was sure.

“What news from town?” she asked as she settled back beside Joshua on the floor.

From the weary expression on William’s face, Erasmus knew there could be nothing good, and he ached to ease the troubles that weighed down those soft shoulders.

“I just can’t get close to him, not during the day. He’s surrounded by guards and servants at all times.”

This was the third time that William had tried to seek an audience with the Magistrate and the third time that he had come back unsuccessful. Time was running out, he needed to be exposed to Julia’s potion before the next full moon for it to take effect. They had four days.

“I did manage to get this, though,” William said with a touch of pride.

He pulled a cream envelope from inside his jacket and dropped it on the low table in the centre of the room. Julia snatched it up and opened it.

“An invitation to a ball? For tomorrow?” she asked with laughter in her voice.

“A ball that the Magistrate will be at, where he’ll be amongst friends, where his guard will be down. I’ve heard that he’s quite the dancer,” said William.

Erasmus muffled a laugh with his fist and turned to Joshua in order to hide the obvious glee on his face. As it happened, Julia gave voice to the same thought that he was suppressing.

“I’m sure that you two will make quite the couple dancing the volta!”

Erasmus snorted and startled Joshua who clutched Harry to his chest as if to protect him. A good kid, that one. He allowed his attention to return to the conversation at hand.

“I wasn’t anticipating being the one attending if I’m honest.” William looked Julia in the eye with a coolness that took Erasmus by surprise.

“Oh, don’t you give me that look, Neath! If you want something, ask for it!” Julia sounded angry but looked amused, she was always a difficult read and Erasmus liked that about her.

“Look here, you two,” Erasmus interrupted the bickering. “None of us are exactly kitted out for attending a ball, are we?”

William shrugged, as if it was a minor issue, that a quick bath and brushing off the worst of the mud would have any of them ready for a society event. Julia giggled, a rare sound at the best of times and unspeakably out of place for this situation. Still giggling, she climbed the ladder to the sleeping loft and hefted her pack out.

“You really should be keeping that down here, in case we need to leave quickly.” William apparently couldn’t keep from lecturing.

Julia gave him a sharp look and began rummaging in her pack.

“Julia, I swear to whatever god will take me, if you’ve got some kind of formal outfit in there-” the rest of Erasmus’ threat died in the air as Julia shook out a gown of moss green and gold brocade and looked at him expectantly.

“Looks like you’re going to the ball, then, Julia!” William sounded triumphant.

“How-- no,  _ why _ do you have a bloody  _ ballgown _ in your bag but you’ve been wearing  _ my _ socks for weeks?” Erasmus felt sure that he should be angry but, in all honesty, he was impressed.

Julia shrugged, holding the gown up to the little light that filtered through the dirty window.

“Do you have a gown in your pack?” she asked.

“Of course not!” Erasmus shot back.

“Then you’ve got room to carry socks, haven’t you?”

He didn’t have a satisfactory answer to that.

Julia’s mouth slanted into a critical line.

“You know, I don’t think this is going to fit me.”

With some negotiation around how much William needed to get over himself considering both the greater good and the number of times that they had all bathed in rivers together during their journeying, Erasmus and William helped Julia try on the gown. It was not a good fit at all. The bodice and skirt would both need shortening, the arms needed taking in, the lacing could hide some of the slack around the waist but then it would pull too much at the bust.

“If I had a week or more, I could make the alterations, but there’s no way that I can make this look like it’s meant to fit you by tomorrow night.” Erasmus felt defeated.

Julia shrugged the gown off over her head and handed it to William.

“You try it on. I didn’t steal any men’s clothing so this is all we’ve got.”

William sputtered and protested, but he did put the dress on. It was still too long and, well, whilst not a terrible fit, William was likely to burst a seam if he moved too fast. Their time on the run had slimmed his figure but he was still stocky and not at all the shape needed to fit this dress.

“Sorry, William. No magical night for you,” Julia said as she helped him out of the dress.

With a dramatic sigh, Erasmus began pulling off his tunic and undershirt. He held his arms out for Julia to slide the dress over his head and crouched a little to let her reach the lacing.

“Oh my,” breathed William, a little too softly for Erasmus’ comfort.

Julia finished with the lacing and circled around him, taking in the full vision. Feeling self-conscious, Erasmus tried to move his arms and test out the fit of the dress, it felt close to perfection. The skirt fell a little long, the amount that a good hooped farthingale would account for. Erasmus admired the fit at his waist and shoulders, gently touching the rich material. The sleeves and neckline were bordered with golden embroidery; Erasmus had never felt so richly dressed.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say this dress was made for you, Ras.” Julia was behind him again, her hands smoothing the fabric at his waist. “You’ll need a chemise, of course, a farthingale and stays, oh, and shoes. But the dress really is the main part, isn’t it?”

William was fretting, worrying at his cuticles and chewing his bottom lip.

“What is it, priest? How are we damning our souls today?” Erasmus saw William flinch at the edge in his voice and regretted it immediately.

“That wasn’t my concern. it’s just that, well, this is  _ dangerous _ , Erasmus. Are you sure you want to do this? Do you think you  _ can _ do this?”

This was something that Erasmus could soothe. Stays and petticoats were a lot of bother but femininity felt no less natural than masculinity to Erasmus, he had no word for the fluidity he felt when gliding between the roles but it only ever seemed right to him that he could fill either of them.

He held up one finger, asking for a minute of privacy and retreated to the other room. He untied the cord that held his hair up and ruffled it loose until it fell in waves about his face. With a few tugs on the dress, he corrected the fit about his hips and let the sense memory inform the way he walked. It should be enough to illustrate his ability, at least.

Gliding back into the main room, Erasmus noted William’s shocked expression with satisfaction. He tucked some of his hair behind one ear and tilted his head to expose his neck, just a little.

“Do I pass inspection, William?” he asked gently, pitching his voice to the softer side of husky.

Whatever answer William was about to give was lost behind the celebratory whooping of Julia. She scooped up Joshua and swung him about the room.

“Look, Joshua! Our Ras is going to the ball!”

Fitting into a dress and looking feminine was a far cry from being actually ready for the ball, so the three of them worked for as long as the light held out. Julia hurried back into town to buy whatever they weren’t able to scrounge or make. William took over Joshua duties, entertaining him as well as making dinner for everyone. Erasmus went out into the woods to look for withies and to collect as much water as he could carry.

When Julia returned, Erasmus had constructed a reasonable farthingale petticoat and was stitching it to a waistband. She turned out her haul on the little table, gently moving Harry the rabbit to one side.

“I did pretty well, I think,” Julia said as she sorted through the items. “The stockings aren’t the nicest but they should fit, and the ribbon garters are pretty enough to distract. Slippers to fit your feet are impossible to find, I couldn’t even ask. I’m sure we’ll think of something.”

Erasmus leaned forward on his stool to poke through Julia’s offerings. She had even got hair combs and a chemise. He could use the lower part of the chemise to make a pocket as well, so that was a bonus.

“Sorry, Ras, I couldn’t get any stays. It won’t be a problem if no one touches you, but if you dance at all, it’ll be obvious.”

He turned the problem over in his mind. He’d much rather not dance if it could be helped, but in order to get close to the Magistrate, he didn’t want to rule out any options.

“Can I borrow yours?” he asked at last. “I can sew an extra panel in the front without changing anything else.”

Julia’s eyes went wide at the suggestion.

“I can’t believe I didn’t think of that! Of course you can! How daft of me!” Julia began stripping off on the spot, much to William’s embarrassment.

Erasmus used a strip of linen that Julia had been carrying since they had left Gwent, for some reason, to widen the front of her stays. It was hard to be mad at Julia for hoarding so much apparently pointless junk when she was almost always able to pull out the exact thing they needed. At his feet, Julia was working on a simple petticoat, turning the lining of her cloak into a basic skirt that would cover Erasmus under the farthingale. Up in the loft, William was putting Joshua to bed.

Not for the first time, Erasmus thought about how grateful he was for this house and William’s encyclopaedic knowledge of vacant church-owned properties. The Inquisition had taken its toll on so many parts of life that a dry roof and safe place to rest were such luxuries. It was better for Joshua as well, poor kid.

As soon as William came back down, Erasmus expected him to either start a lecture about how Erasmus would need to be extra careful during this ball or to fuss about how long the fire had been burning and the risk of their smoke being spotted. Instead, he sat on a stool across from Erasmus and  _ looked _ at him. Every time he glanced up, William was staring at him and looking very odd. After a few minutes, William stood and walked out of the house without a word. Julia and Erasmus exchanged a look that made it clear that neither of them knew what was going on.

The light was fading fast when William returned, his hands full of river rocks.

“What’ve you got there, Will?” Julia got to her knees and craned her neck to see.

“Rocks,” William said, simply.

They had spent enough time together to recognise William’s dry-as-kindling humour on the rare occasions that it crept out of his strait-laced front. Erasmus snorted so loud that Julia smacked him on the knee and scolded him for almost waking Joshua, a wicked grin on her face. They all knew that he could sleep through a thunderstorm, but sometimes a good laugh between friends was too infectious to ignore.

By the light of the dying fire and one of the tallow candles that Erasmus had acquired a few towns previous, William went to work beside his friends, sharpening and honing his razor to the finest edge it could hold. Stroking the stubble on his chin, Erasmus realised the value of William’s thoughts and smiled as he finished his sewing.

Before calling it a night, Julia set aside a bowl of water and tipped a packet of dried leaves into it. William put his razor out of reach of Joshua and cracked the strains out of his back. Erasmus set aside his half-finished pocket with the altered stays and completed farthingale. He hadn’t sewn this much in one day since he’d run away the first time. Between William’s comforting warmth and Julia’s gentle breathing, Erasmus fell asleep quicker than he had in months.

“Ras, get up! We’ve got a lot to do today!” Julia called from downstairs.

Where she got the energy, Erasmus never knew. He’d asked for whatever spell or potion she used so many times that it was a running joke. Even William was up before him this morning. That was very unusual, he thought, as he shook off the last of his sleep.

“I’ve got the pocket to finish, that’s all,” he grumbled as his feet hit the floor.

William made a disapproving sound in his throat from where he sat, feeding Joshua porridge and trying to dissuade him from eating the river rocks he’d brought in last night. Nothing tasted as good as non-edible things, Joshua had decided somewhere along the way.

“There’s a great deal more than that to be done, honestly. Joshua, no, not the rocks, please. Yummy porridge?”

Erasmus sat and picked up his sewing again to finish off the pocket. The thought of a night out was getting him rather excited. Wearing a frankly gorgeous gown, doing his hair, getting to spend some time with strangers. Even with the pressure of getting the Magistrate to drink the potion, it was shaping up to be a good night.

Julia waddled in, heaving two buckets of water with her. She tipped them into the large iron pot that had been in the fireplace when they’d found the house. The fire had been lit already and was licking at the bottom of the pot.

“Giant batch of soup, Julia? Or are you making enough potion that we can just dunk the Magistrate?” Erasmus teased her as he sewed the last seam.

“Oh, that would have been an idea, wouldn’t it? No, Ras, it’s your bath.”

“Bath?!” he hadn’t meant to sound horrified by the prospect, but there it was.

Joshua laughed at him, grabbed Harry off the table and ran out to play in the little garden at the back of the house.

“Yes, bath, Ras. You’ve got months worth of travelling ground into your skin. I wouldn’t accept a drink from you and I know you!” Julia made a good point.

“Your hair has twigs in it,” William added, helpfully.

“We have to start at the base and work up for this to be a success, really.”

Erasmus loved these two, he reminded himself, he loved them more than he ever loved anything in his life. This was the only reason that instead of raging at them about condescending to him, he gave a tight smile, tied off his last stitch, set his sewing down, and swallowed his anger.

“You would both do well to remember that I have done this before. Deception is my speciality and this is not a new string for my bow. You don’t need to worry about drilling me on a backstory, or teaching me basic dance steps so I don’t make a fool of myself. This has been my life for decades and I don’t need nannying about it.” He did his best to keep his voice soft but William still winced as though he had been scolded.

“I apologise. Of course, you know what you’re doing. We’re just on edge with this being our last chance,” Julia said, calm and a little chastened.

“My hair does have a twig or two, I suppose,” Erasmus allowed, letting humour back into the space between them.

William sagged as the tension disappeared. Erasmus hated having made him feel that way in the first place.

They ate in a silence that was comfortable rather than awkward, Erasmus cleared up after breakfast and spent a little time in the garden with Joshua. In a way that could be passed off as playing, he practised his curtsey and a few steps of the dances he knew well enough. Joshua helped, laughing at the great game that Erasmus was teaching him and dancing around the garden to tunes that Erasmus hummed.

Julia called him in when the water had heated enough and from then on it was all go. Erasmus stripped naked and started scrubbing himself clean, Julia showed him the soapwort mixture she’d made overnight and helped him work it into his hair. They washed his hair twice more and scrubbed at his skin until he was pink and soft all over. Julia had him sit on the floor in front of her, wrapped in a sheet, while she combed through his hair and took out the tangles. They could hear William entertaining Joshua outside and, for a few peaceful minutes, everything felt good. Erasmus could imagine that this was his home and this was his family. Finally, Julia wrapped his hair in a sheet to soak up the rest of the water.

Erasmus began to dress, pulling on the stockings and tying them in place with ribbons. Julia had been right that the ribbons drew the attention away from the low quality of the stockings, he noted. The chemise was far shorter than it should have been, having donated much of its length to the pocket, but the neckline was pretty and clean. Julia helped him put on her stays, making a point to inspect his work at the front while he assured her that she’d never know they had been altered by the time he returned them. She smiled and teased him about worrying too much. The pocket and farthingale both fit around his waist perfectly, tying up with strips of plain linen. With a pat on his shoulder, Julia left to relieve William and change duties.

Erasmus gave William a little spin when he came in, showing off the results of their hard work so far.

“Can you sit in that?” William asked.

Erasmus sat on one of the little three-legged stools, folding the hoops of his farthingale behind his knees as he did so. Without a mirror, it had been agreed that it was best for William to shave Erasmus and for it to be done as late as possible to prevent visible regrowth from giving him away. William looked over the visible areas of Erasmus’ chest, shoulders, and back to check for any telltale hair. The gentle touch of his fingers lit tiny fires in Erasmus’ heart, fires he worked hard to quench. He lost the battle when William’s hand curled under his chin and lifted his head, almost forcing eye contact.

“Stay still, and trust me?” William asked with a trace of nervousness.

“With my life, you know that.”

William smiled weakly and gathered a handful of the soapwort suds to smooth over Erasmus’ cheek. The touch was so unexpectedly intimate that Erasmus let his eyes close and leaned into William’s hand.

“I said stay still!” chided William, his voice carrying panic. “Move like that while I’m working and you’ll lose an ear!”

Erasmus muttered an apology and forced himself to sit still, looking straight ahead. William slathered on the suds and began to carefully shave Erasmus’ jaw. He was so slow and careful, tender and attentive, Erasmus could have wept from the attention alone. Letting William position his head, not daring to even breathe as the stroke of the razor caressed his skin, it was more vulnerable than he’d allowed himself to be in decades. Dimly, he wondered if William understood the significance of this shared act if he was in any way affected by their proximity. Erasmus doubted it, the stuffy priest was hardly likely to understand the effect he had on Erasmus.

William wiped the suds from Erasmus’ face and held his chin to move his head in the light and check for stray hairs. When his grip released, Erasmus made to stand only to have William’s hand land on his shoulder and keep him sitting.

“Not done,” he said, simply.

William stood behind him and tugged the chemise down over his shoulders before tucking a sheet into it to protect it from the wet suds. Erasmus understood what drove cats to purr in the instant that William spread the concoction across his upper back. He fought hard to sit still under gentle caresses, knowing a blade would follow at any moment. It was William, he trusted William. 

It proved even more difficult to sit still when William moved back around to Erasmus’ front, shaving away the hairs of his upper chest with soft fingers and his face so close that Erasmus could feel the puffs of William’s breath over his skin.

After a torturous amount of time, watching William concentrate and focus mere inches from his face, Erasmus was declared finished and the razor was packed away for safety once more. William ran his fingers along Erasmus’ cheek once more and it took every ounce of self-control that Erasmus possessed to keep from covering William’s hand with his own and turning to press a kiss into his palm.

Joshua ran in, babbling excitedly in words that were just the wrong side of coherent. Julia followed a beat later with an awed look on her face and a pair of satin slippers in her hands.

“Joshua just found these,” she explained in a monotone that spoke of shock. “I was thinking about how your boots were the last thing that might give you away and hoping that you’d be all right when he ran up, grabbed my hand, and brought me to the patch of dandelions at the bottom of the garden. They were just sitting there.”

Joshua beamed at them all, waved Harry at Julia, and then tried to eat one of William’s river rocks again.

“Well, that’s certainly interesting,” William said, stupidly.

Erasmus took the slippers and manoeuvred around the framework of his petticoat to get them onto his feet. They were a perfect fit and managed to make his feet look more petite. Even the colour was a good match for the gown.

“Good job, Joshua! You’re so clever!” Erasmus heaped praise on the boy.

“Let’s finish getting you ready, then. Time is getting on,” said William, clapping his hands.

Erasmus felt like a doll being dressed as Julia and William helped him into the gown and adjusted everything from the fall of the skirts to the lay of his chemise across his chest. Julia produced a small bottle of perfume from her pack and applied tiny drops to his throat. With a charred twig from the fire, she lined his eyes and defined his brows. He styled his own hair with the combs, pinning up enough to be respectable whilst keeping a frame of loose curls around his face to soften the sharp angles.

He stood and curtseyed for their approval, pleased with the joy on Julia’s face but unable to read William’s expression. Nerves? Anger? It was impossible to tell.

“Oh Ras, you’re beautiful!” Julia gasped.

She stooped to pick up Joshua and hold him on her hip, preventing a dash across the room to put sticky fingers all over the brocade skirts.

“Yeah? I’m trusting you two here, I’d usually have a mirror,” Erasmus said, trying to swallow his nerves. “What do you think, William?”

“Yes, well. You look very nice.”

Briefly, Erasmus considered teasing for more of a compliment, but William already looked so uncomfortable that he took pity.

“Thank you,” he glanced out at the window at the fading light. “I should head out soon.”

They all double and triple checked that Erasmus had the potion, the invitation, and the confidence to pull this off. Julia kissed him on the cheek and wished him luck whilst holding Joshua at a safe distance. William stiffly offered to walk Erasmus to the edge of town.

If William had hoped for the privacy of the walk to afford some conversation, he did not take the opportunity, much to Erasmus’ disappointment. They walked in near silence through the woodland, away from their abandoned house. Erasmus was grateful for the time to adapt his walk and adjust his mannerisms. It would have been nice to practice with William as a companion, but it was better than nothing. At the edge of town, they stopped and Erasmus put out his hand, knuckles offered up to William.

“Mind how you go,” said William as he took the proffered hand and pressed a kiss to warm skin. “I’ll be here to meet you at midnight.”

Temporarily robbed of speech, Erasmus nodded and turned away. He walked towards the manor house as the last rays of sunlight disappeared.

Getting into the ball couldn’t have been easier. Erasmus handed over his invitation, smiled prettily, and gave his name as Mrs Amanda Bishop to be announced into the main hall. An unescorted lady in an expensive gown would always be cause for gossip, especially when she was a stranger to everyone present. This was Erasmus’ element, the core of his success for so many years; he knew exactly how much attention to draw and when to deflect it. He made a tall, statuesque woman, towering over many of the men, so he spent a fair amount of time sitting with the ladies around his age.

Amanda was sadly widowed and childless but left with a substantial living and family wealth. No one was impolite enough to ask how she had secured an invitation, nor where she was staying in town; any information that spread about her had come directly from her own lips at her own prompting. It was almost too comfortable to fall into the old habits of lying and concealing. Erasmus remembered the rush as if it had been only yesterday when he had last donned a gown and courted eligible widowers out of gifts and promises only to disappear when the season turned.

There was something comfortable and soothing about playing this role. Like slipping into well-worn shoes or putting on a beloved winter coat after the long months of summer; it felt like an extension of himself, as natural as his own skin.

Nursing a glass of wine, Erasmus noted that he had finally caught the attention of the Magistrate. By all accounts from the chattering ladies playing cards, the Magistrate was a lecherous and handsy wretch, best avoided by any lady with dignity. There had been a giggle around the card table at that comment that had told Erasmus all he needed to know about how many of these ladies considered themselves the exception to that particular rule.

Erasmus excused himself after the next hand and walked pointedly away from where the Magistrate was standing, swaying his hips as he went. A coy glance over his shoulder proved the effectiveness of his walk had not diminished with time. The Magistrate strode over, making no pretence about his destination.

“May I have the pleasure of your acquaintance, lady?” he asked, offering a deep bow.

Erasmus responded with a delicate curtsey and an extended hand.

“Good sir, you may. I am Mrs Bishop, pleased to make your acquaintance.”

He smiled up at Erasmus, taking his hand and pressing a kiss to the knuckles. The memory of William’s much gentler kiss flashed unbidden before his eyes. The warm flush that painted his cheeks at the memory must have pleased the Magistrate because he stood and tucked Erasmus’ hand into the crook of his elbow and led him towards a group of well-dressed men.

“Gentlemen, may I introduce Mrs Bishop?”

Erasmus inclined his head graciously to each member of the group, trying not to notice the glittering of gold rings and the fine lace of handkerchiefs. Trinkets that would be too easy to loosen and pocket. There was a bigger target, a more important task to focus on.

“Please, call me Amanda.” Erasmus turned on his charm and took control of the evening.

The rumours regarding the Magistrate’s predilection for dancing were not unfounded, Erasmus played the reluctant partner just well enough to keep him asking for a dance until they reached the point where a final refusal would have ended the night. Making a show of being shy and unsure, he allowed the Magistrate to lead him to the dancefloor. Grateful for Julia’s stays, Erasmus danced a turn or two, light on his feet and willingly led by his dance partner. The Magistrate’s hands would linger a beat too long, or stray an inch too high and Erasmus would bat at him playfully. The players might change, it seemed, but the game was ever the same.

After a lively reel, Erasmus begged a rest and claimed to need cool air. The Magistrate took his hand, tucked it into his elbow once more, and took him out to a private balcony on the first floor. Erasmus had snagged a glass of wine on the way out of the ballroom and now, as he leaned on the stonework of the balcony, he twirled the glass between his fingers.

“You look so thoughtful. Is something troubling you?” the Magistrate asked, moving closer to Erasmus.

In the soft light of the moon, Erasmus looked up through his lashes and smiled at the Magistrate.

“Only that the night might pass without my knowing the feel of your lips on mine.”

His comment hit the mark. Gentler than he expected, a hand reached to cup his cheek and lips brushed against his. In less time than it took to draw breath, the touch was gone and Erasmus feared opening his eyes. He had been kissed like this before without detection but it had been a while. He touched his own cheek, afraid to feel the rasp of stubble. 

His skin was still smooth, thank William. Looking up into the Magistrate’s eyes, he saw a question and a caution. With the slightest nod, Erasmus leaned forward into another kiss and was immediately overwhelmed by the passion and strength he was received with. A firm tongue parted his lips and licked at his teeth, begging entry which Erasmus granted as he wilted like a delicate flower in the arms of the Magistrate.

Half his mind was occupied with thoughts of how to bring the potion into play now that he had the Magistrate’s attention while the other half focused on playing his role as nervous but willing kisser.

Finally, they broke apart and Erasmus made a dive for his wine, swallowing a gulp in his haste to put a little breathing room between them. He had another sip of his wine on his lips when the Magistrate reached for him again. In a spark of either idiocy or genius, Erasmus kept the wine in his mouth as the Magistrate’s tongue came seeking him. From the hum and slight curve of a smile against his lips, Erasmus knew that his gamble had paid off. The Magistrate allowed Erasmus to pass the wine into his mouth where he eagerly swallowed it.

“You are a wealth of delightful surprises, Mistress Amanda!” he said, licking his lips. “Do it again?”

Erasmus held up his glass and swirled it.

“Ah, but I’m nearly out,” he pouted.

The Magistrate strode back into the house in search of more wine. Erasmus wasted no time in pulling the little vial from his pocket and removing the stopper. He sniffed it and licked the rim of the bottle, wondering how far to trust Julia’s assertion that it was flavourless. The echo of returning footsteps forced his hand, he tipped the potion into the glass and shoved the vial back into his pocket just before the Magistrate burst through the door with two full glasses. He smiled sheepishly at the over-compensation and set the glasses down beside Erasmus before joining him on the bench.

“Where were we?” he asked, hopefully.

Erasmus gave him a soft smile and tipped the wine and potion concoction into his mouth before offering his lips up to the Magistrate. As before, a gentle kiss became an exploration and then a sharing of wine as Erasmus slowly allowed the wine to trickle into the Magistrate’s mouth. He knew that the potion could be slipped into a drink, that had been the bulk of their ideas for getting it to their target, but Erasmus hoped that he had delivered enough of it. He’d need to check with Julia for the effects and whether he should worry when he got home. He’d delivered the potion to the Magistrate with a full 24 hours to spare, they could breathe a little easier for a while.

So as not to arouse suspicion, Erasmus indulged in a rather long series of wine-filled kisses with the Magistrate, as well as allowing wandering hands to stroke his ankles and up his calves before putting a stop to their progress and begging patience. With a shiver, Erasmus suggested they head back inside before causing any scandalous gossip.

The dancers were tiring and the hour getting late, Erasmus promised to call in on the Magistrate for tea the next day and made his excuses to leave. Just as he’d said, the pale outline of William was waiting for him, nearly glowing in the light of a waxing moon.


End file.
